Chapter 21

The sound of shattering porcelain sliced through the tension like a cold, sharp blade. Emily jumped, her heart racing as she stared at the remnants of the vase Claudia had just broken. Claudia, her face flushed with anger, pointed accusingly at Emily, her voice dripping with venom. "You! You're the reason for all this mess! You're not wealthy, you don't belong here. What have you done to Ethan that he took you in? Do you know the cost of this vase? In this exhibition, it's worth a fortune, and you couldn't possibly afford to pay for it!"

Emily, bewildered and frightened, shook her head in disbelief. "I didn't break it, you did!" she protested, her voice rising in panic. Around them, a small crowd had begun to gather, drawn by the commotion.

Claudia sneered, her confidence bolstered by the attention. "You have no reputation here, no one will take your side. Everyone knows me; they will believe me. I can prove you broke this vase in a second."

The bystanders murmured among themselves, their eyes flitting between Claudia and Emily. Emily could feel their judgment, their skepticism weighing heavily upon her. She felt isolated, vulnerable, and utterly helpless as the voices around her swelled into a cacophony of blame.

Just as the situation seemed to spiral out of control, a commanding voice boomed through the exhibition hall, cutting through the noise like a knife. "Stop bullying her," Ethan shouted, his voice deep and filled with authority. Everyone turned around, their expressions shifting from curiosity to fear as they saw Ethan standing there, his bodyguards flanking him like sentinels.

Ethan's eyes were locked on Claudia, his gaze so intense it seemed to bore right through her. The room fell silent, the air thick with anticipation and sudden dread.

Claudia, caught off guard by Ethan's sudden appearance, tried to compose herself, smoothing down her dress nervously. "Ethan," she stammered, attempting to regain her composure, "this girl—she broke a valuable vase. We can't just let her get away with—"

Ethan, maintaining his composure amidst the chaos, turned his gaze briefly towards his bodyguards, exchanging a knowing look that needed no words. In a moment that seemed choreographed, yet shocking to all in attendance, the bodyguards moved with precision and destroyed several valuable paintings around the exhibition hall. The crowd gasped, their shock turning to horror as they watched the destruction unfold in an orchestrated flurry.

With a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, Ethan turned to Claudia, who stood pale and disbelieving. "Why did you destroy the paintings, Claudia?" he asked, his voice carrying a calm menace that echoed ominously through the now silent room.

Claudia's voice trembled as she replied, "I didn't do it... You have done it."

Ethan's smile widened, his eyes scanning the room filled with shocked onlookers. "In this room, everyone saw who has done it. Let's ask someone," he proposed, his tone laced with a chilling certainty. He turned to a nearby woman, giving her what he called a 'death smile,' a grimace that chilled her to the bone.

The woman, visibly shaken, stammered, "It... it was done by Claudia." Her words, though hesitant, tipped the scales irrevocably.

Murmurs turned into loud accusations as the crowd began to blame Claudia, their previous suspicions of Emily melting away in the face of this new spectacle. The owner of the exhibition, drawn by the commotion, arrived at the scene, his face etched with disappointment and disbelief at the destruction that had befallen his venue.

Ethan, seizing the moment, addressed the owner with a composed assertion. "Claudia destroyed all the paintings, and now she will pay for all of this," he declared, ensuring there was no room for doubt in anyone's mind. His gaze then shifted back to Emily, his expression softening in stark contrast to the hardness that had just played across his features.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his tone gentle as he approached her. Emily nodded, the tumultuous emotions settling slightly under the protective barrier of his presence. She felt a mixture of relief and bewilderment, grateful for his intervention but disturbed by the ruthlessness he had displayed.

Claudia, now isolated and defeated, watched helplessly as her plans unraveled. Her face, a mask of frustration and humiliation, was unable to conceal the bitter realization of her downfall. The crowd, sensing the shift in power, began to disperse, their whispers a blend of admiration for Ethan's decisiveness and a renewed curiosity about Emily—the mysterious girl who had unwittingly become the center of an unexpected drama.